Meet SLAM Magazine's 2021 High School All-American Lineup.
SLAM High School Team of 2021
From left to right: UCLA small forward Peyton Watson, Duke University Paolo Banchero, Signed G League Jaden Hardy, Gonzaga University Chet Holmgren, University of Alabama JD Davison.
Can you see them in the 2022 NBA Draft, and maybe Akira is among the five?
Chet Holmgren
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga University
Height 7-1, center, from Minnesotapolis, Minnesota
Homegren helped Minneshaha College to a 20-1 record and won the Minnesota Championship in his senior season, averaging 20.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 4.4 assists per game, winning three consecutive state championships, and if it were not for the cancellation of the 2020 game, it would have won four consecutive state championships. Holmgren had a total of 1567 points, 964 rebounds and 456 blocks in his four years of high school.
Homegren, who is about to attend Gonzaga University, won the high school Naismith Award for Best Player, won the Gatorade Award for Best Player in Men's Basketball, was selected for the 2021 McDonald's All-Star Game and Nike Basketball Summit, and is predicted to be the top three picks in the 2021 NBA Draft.
NBA scouts consider Homegren a special player, but with a height of 7-1 and a weight of only 195 pounds, his ability to fight has been questioned, and he scored only 13 points and five turnovers in a game against the strong team IMG Academy in February.
Paolo Banchero
Paolo Banchero, Duke University
Height 6-11, big forward, from Seattle, Washington
Bancello improved his ability to hold the ball from the outside during the pandemic, averaging 33 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks in four games at the Grand Session World Championship in March.
6-11 tall, weighing 250 pounds, already has an NBA-level figure, is considered a player who can immediately contribute to the professional arena, and the top three picks are predicted for the 2022 NBA Draft.
With Duke head coach K Sr. retiring in 2022, Bancello will also be a closed disciple of Sr. K. His father has Italian ancestry, so he chose to play for Italy in the international arena, and both parents were former alumni of the University of Washington. Before the senior season, he decided to give up football and play as a quarterback, focusing on basketball.
Jaden Hardy
Jaden Hardy, signed for the G League
Height 6-4, double guard, from Henderson, Nevada
Due to the impact of the epidemic on Nevada high school basketball, Hardy did not play in the senior season, conducted personal training to improve himself, and then signed a contract with the G League to make money.
Hardy said of choosing a development league: "I think a lot, I want to go to college, but I want to see the G League. And the more I can't visit or meet my coach due to the pandemic, the easier it is for me to make a decision. I've never interacted with anyone on campus or witnessed a school game. ”
Hardy sees himself as a wizard, Bill, a two-way defender with explosive scoring ability.
Peyton Watson
Peyton Watson, UCLA
Height 6-9, small forward, from Long Beach, California
Watson was only 6-4 tall in his sophomore year of high school and rose to 6-7 in his senior year, but he did not lose flexibility and also had the technique of a point guard. His outstanding performance of averaging 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists per game in his senior season attracted national attention, and the first player in California in the class of 2021 promised to join UCLA close to home in July last year.
Watson was reported to have grown 6-9 (2.06m) tall and rose all the way to the top ten in the high school rankings, but he was still undervalued due to limited exposure, ESPN scouts have seen him play 5-on-5 matches with the 2020 draft picks, and although he is only 18 years old, he is the best player on the field. With an arm span of 7-0, the outside line is still unstable, and he is versatile offensively and willing to defend.
Watson stood out at the Iverson Classic in May, a tall winger who showed versatility on both ends of the game, and despite his thin stature, he was not afraid to fight. Subsequently, he was selected for the U19 men's basketball training camp at the end of June, and is expected to represent the United States in the U19 Men's Basketball World Cup.
JD Davison
JD-Davidson, University of Alabama
Height 6-2, point guard, from Letohatchee, Alabama
Jerddarian Davison, or JD-Davidson for short, is in his hometown of Letohatchee, about a two-hour drive from Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama, and averaged 32.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in his senior season.
Davidson averaged 33.4 points, 12.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 6.0 steals per game in his senior year of high school and was named Mr. Basketball of Alabama. The Ballislife website says he was the most athletically gifted point guard in high school, bouncing vertically to 44.5 inches.
Davidson was invited to the Iverson Classic in May to win the tournament's Dunk Contest title, and NBA scouts love his potential and are considered a first-round candidate for the 2022 NBA Draft.